I'm the guy from SC pnbrown was referring to. In 2002, my father and I built a road worthy vacuum from an old 2-horse trailer and an 8HP Agri-Fab vacuum. I attached 6 feet or so of PVC pipe to the end of the flexible hose as a nozzle that I could hold. I soon found that it was easier to lay the nozzle on the ground and rake to it instead of moving it around because it would get jammed pretty easily if it was overwhelmed. I used it for a few years and then moved to another place where they bag their leaves, so I quit using it. I still have it. It should still work with a little tinkering. I'm in the process of upgrading, though. I have found that I have a tendency to bring home plastic bags and dump them whole and then they turn into a mess in the spring that I don't want to clean up. I do dump a lot when I get them home, but when I haul 200 at a time and head back out for more, I can't dump them all on the spot. I got over 1000 one year a few years ago. i still have plastic bag pieces all over the place when I till in certain areas. The upgrade... Same vacuum mounted on the rear of a 16 foot flat bed trailer with 6 foot sides and a conduit top covered with a heavy tarp. That's the plan anyway. I calculated it and with 4 foot sides, capacity would only be double what I had in the horse trailer. Maximum possible, that is. Not that I ever filled it that full, but it did come close on occasion. I have acquired the trailer frame and need service on the electic brakes and other wiring. And safety chains and a jack. And a tray welded on the rear for the vacuum to mount on. Once I get that done, I can add the bed of 2x6's and build the sides. There are stake pockets on the front and sides. I'll use metal roof pieces to make the sides solid. Then I'll cover it and give it a go. I drive a F-450 with an 8x12 dump bed on the back. So it's not great on fuel. Having a larger trailer means more collection per trip. More efficient (yeah, right). I have a couple of sub-divisions close enough that don't bag their leaves that make it worthwhile enough for me to visit. I live in Pendleton (Anderson county) about 2 miles from the county line (Pickens) where they vacuum all leaves in the city of Clemson. They will deliver vacuum truck loads of leaves to folks in the Clemson area if they are in Pickens county. Otherwise, I think they haul them 20 miles to the landfill site where they are composted. They will not deliver them to me even though I have offered to pay something for them. A vacuum truck load of leaves is worth paying for. So if they won't bring them to me, I'll take them. I got the funny looks from folks when I'd pull up with the horse trailer and start sucking. But quite a few folks would come out and talk to me about it. I can't wait to unveil the new and improved version. Probably next fall. I'm already popular with the baggers in Pendleton. They see me coming and some actually help load them. One old guy was complaining about how expensive the bags are, so I brought him a bunch back one time. Nice ones like he was using. What I really want is for some of the folks that are putting out bunches of bags at a time to quit using them altogether and let me suck them up. They'll like not having to bag them and I'll like getting clean leaves. Often pre-shredded and mixed with grass clippings! I love leaves! Here is a link that might be useful: The horse trailer vacuum - 2002

After buyong daylilies this spring, I swore I wouldn't get any more LOL. I just ordered 10 more from a local nursery that is having a 50% off sale. Most of these were now $4-8, I just couldn't pass that up. I ordered: Always Afternoon Belle Isle Bandit Best Kept Secret Chance Encounter Eggplant Escapade Mephistopheles Oliver Dragon Tooth Peach Magnolia Smokey Mountain Autumn Hush Little Baby. I've seen your pictures of most of these but does anyone have Oliver Dragon Tooth or Belle Isle Bandit? Would like to hear how it performs for you. Thanks. Marg

Sweet Peas and LavenderÂthere's a song there somewhere (or could be). I can't give you much advice on the charming Sweet Pea, but maybe I can on Lavender. I garden, too, in zone 5a (low last winter of -18°) and have never lost a Lavender plant. But I have had some that have not weathered our Catskill winters well. Those that come through best are cultivars of L. angustifolia: 'Munstead,' 'Hidcote' and 'Hidcote Pink.' ('Lady' is of that species, too.) These have shown themselves to be rugged plants. Those that have not fared as well are L. x intermedia; they don't die, but they sure are scraggly looking by Spring, with many of their branches killed over winter. Although they recovered, I finally dug up my L. x i. 'Provence' plants and gave them to a zone 6 gardener. (Yet I might try L. x i. 'Grosso' at some point.) The L. angustifolia plants are heavy bloomers with blooms lasting 4Â6 weeks. The 'Munstead' is particularly fragrant (as was, alas, the lighter blue 'Provence'); the 'Hidcote Pink' is not as attractive a bloomer, though, as the blue ones. All require poor to average soil (fertility) and a fast draining site. Mine grow in terraced beds in a mix of soil, sand and pebbles. No organic mulch, but pebbles or gravel work great. Full sun is best, but 'Munstead will take a bit of light shade (with a slight but noticeable diminution of bloom and growth) and will even self seed (a bonus). I cover my Lavenders with evergreen boughs once the ground freezes. In late March or early April, I cut them back hard, to below the point of previous year's flowering. And then, in late May, I sometimes see that I have to cut them back again (to live wood), but this can happen even in zone 6. The plants recover quickly and bloom well. None of my Lavenders have grown beyong 2' tall, but their spread is greater. Even at their diminutive sizes, they make good hedges, groupings or specimens and are good companions for heathers or low-growing grasses that require same soil/site conditions. Good luck. The combination of Sweet Peas and Lavender intrigues me.

I went ahead and planted a bunch of seeds in the shade and a bunch in my propagating cabinet. But I also didn't realize that they were poisonous, so I may just give up on them anyway. Gah! Thanks for the response!